The Two Kinds of Moms (and Accepting Which One I Am)

Last week my toddler and I had to leave gymnastics class early. Her turn on the trampoline was complete, and she needed to move on to the balance beams. The problem? The trampoline is her favorite. So, like any normal, strong-willed two-year old, she reacted by throwing herself on the ground and screaming.

I tried to calm her down but quickly decided she was going home without the sticker each gymnast earns at the end of class. I carried my flailing toddler through the crowd of parents and found myself flustered as we made our way through the parking lot. My hair was frizzing in the Texas humidity and my high school health teacher would have described me as glistening (because ladies don't sweat).

It was just another reminder that I don't really have this whole parenting thing figured out.

So, I'd like to file an official complaint against the mothers who always look put together, without a trace of Cheetos on their perfectly ironed clothes. Against the mothers who keep the most pristine homes, without a trace of cat hair to be found. Against the mothers who made the most Pinterest-worthy snacks for the daycare holiday party.

My official complaint? You're making the rest of us look bad.

So, this post is for the rest of us: the ones who have proudly sported spit-up in our hair. The ones who have actually Googled to see if shaving the cat is a viable option for controlling the fur situation -- and learned it's not. To those of us who realized we were supposed to make a snack the night before and ran to the grocery store to purchase prepackaged goldfish crackers.

There's actually nothing wrong with the first group of mothers. In fact, more power to them. But I've come to realize recently, that we only see snapshots of their lives. We see the perfectly coordinated Frozen-themed birthday party, but we don't see the bags under her eyes from staying up all night decorating. The moment she was overwhelmed and stopped to cry wasn't posted on Facebook or Instagram.

So, right here and right now, I'm coming clean: I'm not Supermom.

If I didn't have a housekeeper, my house would be a mess 75 percent of the time. I've outsourced daycare party desserts to my grandma because she loves making them and it saves me the stress. Some weekends I never change out of yoga pants, much less apply makeup or flat iron my hair. Instead of spending nap times folding clothes, I sometimes like to catch a few ZZZ's myself. Oh, and I have no idea what caused the epic meltdown my toddler had on the way to the park last weekend.

But you know what? That's okay. None of those things make me less of a wife or mother. I'm spending time with my daughter. We dance, sing and have tea parties. The cookies we bake may not be ready for the cover of the next Betty Crocker cookbook, but we made memories that will last a lifetime. And we also ate the leftover chocolate chips. We go for walks, run around in the backyard, and play fetch with the dogs. She's learning so much and I don't want to miss out on a thing.

Heather McCain

Heather McCain is a Texas native, wife to her college sweetheart Ben, and mommy to their preemie daughter nicknamed Skeeter (born in March 2012). She blogs at Blonde...Undercover
Blonde about life in a small town, furbabies, and adventures with a toddler.

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